U.S. troops

The maximum penalty Scheller could have been issued was a forfeiture of two-thirds of his monthly pay for 12 months and a letter of reprimand.

"This is me accepting accountability. But it deeply pains me that my senior leaders are incapable of being as courageous," Scheller told the judge.

On Thursday, Lieutenant Colonel Stuart Scheller plead guilty to all six misdemeanor-level charges during a court-martial hearing.

The military's various aircrafts, bases, offices and more collectively burn more oil than most countries.

"Just as we managed to wipe out terrorists from most of Syria, we will work to end the occupation with the same resolve and determination," said Faisal Mekdad.

Only 34 percent of respondents now approve of President Joe Biden on foreign policy, while 59 percent disapprove.

Police are asking the public to help identify the suspected vandal after the flags were deliberately ripped.

Among those that have been named are Maxton William Soviak of Ohio, David Lee Espinoza of Texas and Rylee McCollum of Wyoming.

"To defend this Nation, we need a healthy and ready force," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin wrote in a memo.

"The Taliban should not be allowed to tell us how long we are there to get our personnel out. That's our decision, not theirs," McConnell said on Tuesday.

A collection of photos documenting the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan since the Taliban took over last Sunday.

About 4,500 U.S. troops are on the ground in Afghanistan to secure the airport and assist with the airlift, with several hundred more expected in 24 hours.

"There is no way humanly possible that you can keep our promise, the one that the president has promised, by August 31," the Democrat congressman said.

On Monday, President Biden told the nation: "The Afghan military collapsed, sometimes without trying to fight." But Roya Rahmani disagreed, "Afghan people did not want this to be their fate and destination."

The president said he stood by his decision to remove U.S. troops and that "nation building" was never the goal in Afghanistan.

"I think Donald Trump bears huge blame and Joe Biden will ultimately bear the ultimate blame," Republican Representative Adam Kinzinger of Illinois said.

"From the start, the mission was flawed by design," Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat, said of the Afghanistan War.

"I think our allies here in the U.S. have also lost the psychological war...the story back at home is, they are abandoned," Adela Raz said Friday.

"It doesn't have to be that way and it's not like the Afghans are going to be doing this without our help," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.

"We feel it's in our national security interest for Afghan forces to be in the lead," the White House press secretary said Thursday.

Congress should use its power of the purse to assert its authority in foreign policy.

As the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan commences, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin acknowledged that Afghans will face a significant challenge in keeping the Taliban at bay without U.S. troops.

"Not only did [the media] run with [the story], it is remarkable if you take a walk through memory lane, at The New York Times convincing military families, who had their loved ones killed in action, that in fact Russia bounties were probably to blame," McEnany said Friday.

The military exit, Biden said, will begin May 1 and be completed by the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

"The administration decided to abandon U.S. efforts in Afghanistan, which have helped keep radical Islamic terrorism in check," McConnell said. "And bizarrely, they've decided to do so by September the 11th."

According to the Associated Press, Biden is scheduled to announce the delayed withdrawal date in the upcoming days, and will set the date as the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

The Doha agreement struck in February between the Taliban and the U.S. was intended to allow the drawdown of foreign forces by May 2021.

Families of U.S. soldiers killed in Afghanistan have called for an investigation into claims their deaths were due to a bounty scheme funded by Russia.

The president's plans to remove more than 9,500 U.S. troops from Germany could threaten stability in Europe.

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Sunday told reporters that U.S. troops are not leaving the Middle East and that the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) will continue.